Sideways (Citizen Cope cover)

I decided to roll the dice and buy an electric viola off the internet. You can get reliably good ones from trusted retailers, but you pay for that assurance. I poked around and found one that resembles my electric guitar Shannon, and was cheap enough that I was willing to take the risk of it being terrible. That’s how I wound up owning my new viola, Michael.

Michael is named for my best friend in high school. The guy is a great musician, and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He and I used to collaborate doing prog/rock/classical duets with viola and bass or piano. Working with him is where I burnished a lot of my improvisational chops, so it just made sense to give a funky and experimental instrument his name.

As I mention in the video’s intro, you can now sponsor me directly on Patreon.com. The way it works is pretty simple: you pledge a few bucks (the minimum pledge is $1). When I write/record/release a song (this happens once every couple of months, on average), your account gets charged, and the money goes into a fund for me to book some professional studio time. You directly support me producing some professional-quality music – no middle man, no hassle.

But that’s not all! Depending on the amount you pledge, you will also receive a reward for being a sponsor. The $1 pledge, for example, gets your name listed in the liner notes of the EP you helped fund. The $5 pledge gets you that, plus a digital copy of the EP, plus a hand-written lyrics sheet. If you pledge $10 for each song I release, you’ll get a physical copy of my next album, plus digital copies of anything I ever release in the future.

So you, for a pretty small investment (starting at between $5-10 a year), can help me get my songs out of my apartment and into the world. Plus you get bonus gifts. Plus you don’t have to pay anything until and unless I write the songs you’re helping to fund! Everybody wins!

Anyway, as always, if you like the video please share it with your friends and help spread the word.